Thankful for deals: Shoppers flock to stores on Thanksgiving

Shoppers wait outside for Black Friday deals in a line that doubled through the parking lot of Toys 'R' Us, which later opened at 8 p.m., in Ocala, Fla., on Thursday, Nov. 22, 2012. Area stores offered earlier opening times for Black Friday, some at least four hours before Friday. (Jacqui Janetzko/Star-Banner Correspondent)

Jacqui Janetzko/Ocala Star-Banner

By Vishal PersaudStaff writer

Published: Thursday, November 22, 2012 at 10:06 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, November 22, 2012 at 10:06 p.m.

Ocalans came out in full force Thursday night to take advantage of advertised deals at area stores opening up just hours after Thanksgiving dinner.

Eager shoppers lined up outside Toys “R” Us and Target as early as 10 a.m. Thanksgiving Day to wait for the stores to open that night. Toys “R” Us opened at 8 p.m., and Target opened at 9 p.m.

Last year, Toys “R” Us was open at 9 p.m., and the year before it was 10 p.m. Other stores such as Target and Best Buy also opened earlier last year and this year to promote deals on a variety of items.

Earlier opening times at stores and waiting in line all Thanksgiving Day didn't keep lots of those shoppers from having dinner or spending time with their families — they found creative and interesting ways to make it happen.

Jeanine Lanza, part of the second group in line outside Toys “R” Us on State Road 200, commissioned her friend, Renona Dorsey, to wait in line for her while she had Thanksgiving dinner with family.

“So what I do is actually pay her (Dorsey) to come (stand in) line and wait here for me. So I paid her to come here,” Lanza said looking over at Dorsey. “I had my Thanksgiving dinner, and I paid her to come (stand in) line for me.”

Dorsey said she cooked a quick dinner, ate and was in line at Toys “R” Us at around 1:30 p.m. Lanza paid her $100 and brought her some dessert from her dinner to stand in line for her.

And it's an agreement they have every year.

Lanza had her eyes on the big video game deal at the store: Buy one video game and get the second for a $1.

After Toys “R” Us, Lanza said she also paid Dorsey to wait in line for her at Kohl's, which opened at midnight Friday.

Ed Hynes, who drove from Inverness to be one of the first people in line at the Toys “R” Us, said he and his family had their dinner on Wednesday night instead of Thursday so he could wait in line.

“It's a day, we still had family come in. It's a day, we just changed the day. Instead of Thursday, it was Wednesday,” Hynes said.

He waited in line since noon Thursday.

Jhordin Eihardt and his family were the first people in line at Toys “R” Us and got to the store at 11:30 a.m. Thursday.

Even though they were there early, they had a friend come to hold their spot while they went to relatives' houses in the area to have a quick Thanksgiving dinner.

“We had her sit here; we left to eat Thanksgiving dinner,” Eihardt said.

By around 7:30 p.m., a long line of shoppers snaked from the front of the store, through the parking lot and out onto the sidewalk on SR 200.

Shoppers were ready with shopping carts and sat in fold-up chairs reading books, had tablets or phones to keep them occupied or talked with friends and family online.

At the Target on SR 200, those wanting to take advantage of deals on televisions and iPods sat outside the store until it opened at 9 p.m.

Tracy Madera, who was near the front of the line at Target, said she was waiting in line to get an iPod Touch for her daughter, whose birthday is Dec. 12.

Her family had Thanksgiving earlier in the day, and she was in line at the store about 4 p.m.

“We pre-cooked some of the food on Wednesday, and then we did the rest on Thursday morning, and we were done by 12 (p.m.),” Madera said.

Next year, if stores decide to open even earlier than they did Thursday night to promote deals, Madera said she'd plan to be in line earlier.

But Lanza, who paid her friend to wait in line at Toys “R” Us for her, said she wouldn't.

“If they go any earlier next year, I don't think I'll be coming,” she said. “Even if I paid someone, I wouldn't even do that to another family.”

Contact Vishal Persaud at 867-4065, vishal.persaud@starbanner.com or on Twitter @vishalpersaud.

<p>Ocalans came out in full force Thursday night to take advantage of advertised deals at area stores opening up just hours after Thanksgiving dinner.</p><p>Eager shoppers lined up outside Toys “R” Us and Target as early as 10 a.m. Thanksgiving Day to wait for the stores to open that night. Toys “R” Us opened at 8 p.m., and Target opened at 9 p.m.</p><p>Last year, Toys “R” Us was open at 9 p.m., and the year before it was 10 p.m. Other stores such as Target and Best Buy also opened earlier last year and this year to promote deals on a variety of items.</p><p>Earlier opening times at stores and waiting in line all Thanksgiving Day didn't keep lots of those shoppers from having dinner or spending time with their families — they found creative and interesting ways to make it happen.</p><p>Jeanine Lanza, part of the second group in line outside Toys “R” Us on State Road 200, commissioned her friend, Renona Dorsey, to wait in line for her while she had Thanksgiving dinner with family.</p><p>“So what I do is actually pay her (Dorsey) to come (stand in) line and wait here for me. So I paid her to come here,” Lanza said looking over at Dorsey. “I had my Thanksgiving dinner, and I paid her to come (stand in) line for me.”</p><p>Dorsey said she cooked a quick dinner, ate and was in line at Toys “R” Us at around 1:30 p.m. Lanza paid her $100 and brought her some dessert from her dinner to stand in line for her.</p><p>And it's an agreement they have every year.</p><p>Lanza had her eyes on the big video game deal at the store: Buy one video game and get the second for a $1.</p><p>After Toys “R” Us, Lanza said she also paid Dorsey to wait in line for her at Kohl's, which opened at midnight Friday.</p><p>Ed Hynes, who drove from Inverness to be one of the first people in line at the Toys “R” Us, said he and his family had their dinner on Wednesday night instead of Thursday so he could wait in line.</p><p>“It's a day, we still had family come in. It's a day, we just changed the day. Instead of Thursday, it was Wednesday,” Hynes said.</p><p>He waited in line since noon Thursday.</p><p>Jhordin Eihardt and his family were the first people in line at Toys “R” Us and got to the store at 11:30 a.m. Thursday.</p><p>Even though they were there early, they had a friend come to hold their spot while they went to relatives' houses in the area to have a quick Thanksgiving dinner.</p><p>“We had her sit here; we left to eat Thanksgiving dinner,” Eihardt said. </p><p>By around 7:30 p.m., a long line of shoppers snaked from the front of the store, through the parking lot and out onto the sidewalk on SR 200.</p><p>Shoppers were ready with shopping carts and sat in fold-up chairs reading books, had tablets or phones to keep them occupied or talked with friends and family online. </p><p>At the Target on SR 200, those wanting to take advantage of deals on televisions and iPods sat outside the store until it opened at 9 p.m.</p><p>Tracy Madera, who was near the front of the line at Target, said she was waiting in line to get an iPod Touch for her daughter, whose birthday is Dec. 12.</p><p>Her family had Thanksgiving earlier in the day, and she was in line at the store about 4 p.m. </p><p>“We pre-cooked some of the food on Wednesday, and then we did the rest on Thursday morning, and we were done by 12 (p.m.),” Madera said.</p><p>Next year, if stores decide to open even earlier than they did Thursday night to promote deals, Madera said she'd plan to be in line earlier.</p><p>But Lanza, who paid her friend to wait in line at Toys “R” Us for her, said she wouldn't.</p><p>“If they go any earlier next year, I don't think I'll be coming,” she said. “Even if I paid someone, I wouldn't even do that to another family.”</p><p><i>Contact Vishal Persaud at 867-4065, vishal.persaud@starbanner.com or on Twitter @vishalpersaud.</i></p>